Sunday, March 28, 2010

The website www.bachflower.org has added a new feature! Now you can research the remedies you want and add them to your personal blend all in one place. Once you've made your choices you'll be taken back to FeelBach! to place your order.

All 38 Bach Flower Essences are listed there, along with an explanation of the conditions that each treats. You’ll see how to recognize a negative state and what to expect when you’ve achieved a positive state.

We are all supposed to be happy. And for the majority of the time, we can – as long as we stay in tune with our higher selves and keep our energies balanced.

Unfortunately, sometimes despite our best efforts, the events around us throw us out of balance.

Remember that life never stays the same. Different situations and people come and go, and they all have an effect on us. So what you need this year may be different from what you might need next year.

The important thing is to keep tabs on your feelings, and when you’re in any state you perceive as negative or imbalanced, take steps to fix it. Use the information at www.bachflower.org to choose a Bach Flower Remedy to bring your energies back into balance.

If you really aren't sure even after reading all the pages, you can still go to www.feelbach.com and use the questionnaire.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Over the past couple of years, thousands of homeowners have been subjected to foreclosure proceedings or are being forced to sell their homes through the "Short sale" process in order to get out from under crushing debt.

It's become so common that it no longer carries the stigma that it once did, but that doesn't keep the emotional pain away when you're the one it happens to.

We all know intellectually that all these foreclosures are the result of forces we could not control. And while blame and finger-pointing is rampant, we know that it was a combination of events that led to the housing crisis and the employment crisis.

The promise of a refinance or a home sale before adjustable rate mortgages reset went away when home prices fell. Hard-working, loyal employees have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. New jobs are scarce because companies are afraid to hire in this unpredictable economic climate.

If you've lost your home, it's probably not your fault. But that doesn't halt your feelings.

The emotions that follow can range from guilt (I should have known better than to buy this house / agree to this loan) to anger (I didn't deserve to be laid off) to fear (what will happen to me and my family) to depression and loss of hope (there's no way out, I'm doomed)to embarrassment (what do my friends/family think of me now).

Those very understandable emotions, left to rage uncontrolled, can become debilitating. They can prevent you from being able to pick up the pieces and get on with life. They can even destroy relationships with friends and family.

And that can do much greater damage than this temporary setback.

Bach Flower Remedies can get your emotions back in balance, so you can make good decisions about your future; find new employment if that's what you need; and maintain the relationships that can be your support system during this troubling time.

Each person reacts to this situation in his or her own way, so there is no one Bach Flower Essence to recommend. Instead, go to the FeelBach! questionnaire to create a blend designed to treat the emotions that you're feeling. If you'd rather choose and create your own blend, visit www.bachflower.org and read about the 38 Bach Flower Essences. Then choose up to 6 essences to treat your specific emotions.

Either way, the sooner you start, the sooner you'll be back in control of your life, and not held back by emotional imbalance. Then you can regroup and move with confidence into a better future.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Are you bringing a new baby into your family soon? Or perhaps you’re adopting an older child. Maybe you’re getting married. Even bringing a new pet into your home can be upsetting for the children and pets you already have.

You may still be dealing with issues that started with getting a new puppy for Christmas.

A new family member necessarily causes a change in daily routine, and a change in where your attention is directed.

When you begin paying attention to someone new, your other family members can quite understandably feel pangs of jealousy. If they’re insecure, they may begin to fear that you’ll reject them completely and stop loving them.

That jealousy and fear can trigger feelings of anger toward the one who is taking your attention away from them. And those feelings can trigger guilt, because they’re not “supposed” to feel the way they feel.

What a load of heavy emotion!

Of course you’ve tried to prevent this. You’ve tried to prepare your children for the changes taking place and you work hard to give them extra attention while they become accustomed to the new routine. When it’s your pet who is upset you try to include them in your joy and give them extra attention as well.

But it isn’t easy to deal with strong emotion, and even while you’re joyful you yourself can become overly stressed.

Luckily, there is safe, effective help for all of you. The Bach Flower Essence blend called Feel5ive is a general-purpose anti-anxiety aid that may be all your kids and pets need to get them through this transition. And it may be all you need to keep your equilibrium and help them adjust.

However, if feelings of fear or jealousy have had time to fester and grow, they might need a Bach Flower Remedy that’s more specific to their emotional imbalance. Gentian, for instance, treats despondence, while Holly treats jealousy.

To find the perfect blend for your children, your pets, or even yourself, use the FeelBach! Questionnaires. The questions, and your answers, will guide you to the perfect blend to get your family and you back into balance. Then you can all begin to enjoy the change you’ve made in your life.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

A couple of months ago a friend called to ask my opinion about a change she wanted to make in her life. She dislikes her job and wanted to do something else, but it meant taking some night classes and expanding her skills.

She started the conversation by telling me how she thought that job would be much more interesting and fulfilling and I agreed that it probably would. It’s in a field that she’s always found fascinating and in fact dabbles in as a hobby.

So what’s the problem? Her brother pointed out that the starting pay was less than she’s earning now. Her cousin said that if she’d be doing something as work that she thinks is fun it will ruin the fun of her hobby. Her mother told her she really didn’t have time to take night classes. Her husband doubted her commitment to taking the classes. Another friend talked about the “security” of staying in her current job. Her sister reminded her that if she stayed where she is, she might get a promotion.

I said “Wait a minute. Why are you asking for everyone’s opinion? What do YOU want to do?”

Again, she told me how excited she was about the idea and thought it was a really good idea, but then went back to what everyone else thought about it. I told her that what everybody else thought didn’t matter, but I could tell I wasn’t getting anywhere.

Then I realized that this is a pattern. She has second-guessed her every decision for the last couple of years. She asks everyone’s opinion and generally ends up letting someone else make decisions for her. How sad.

So, instead of expressing the annoyance that was my first reaction, I talked to her about Bach Flower Essences and about re-balancing her energies. She was a little hesitant to believe that something so simple could give her control over her own decisions. But luckily she listened to me and didn’t ask 16 other people for their opinions. (Lucky – because not everyone knows of the power of Bach Flower Remedies, and some might have talked her out of trying.)

She could have begun using Cerato by itself to overcome her lack of confidence. But I guided her to the FeelBach! Questionnaire and she instead began using a custom-made blend of flower essences that also addresses some of her other imbalances.

Now instead of asking for advice about how to run her life, she’s asking for recommendations for a housekeeper to take over some of her household duties - so she can have plenty of time to attend classes and study for her new career.

Monday, March 01, 2010

If you get backaches you probably attribute it to a physical problem. You've twisted wrong or lifted too much or "slept crooked." New reports are also showing that backache can be a sign of chronic constipation... another physical cause.

But I can tell you from experience that backache can also be caused by emotions.

I first learned of this years ago when a person from the long-ago past showed up and wanted to re-establish a friendship that had ended on unpleasant note. Within days of hearing from her I developed a back ache that didn't respond to pain killers, heat, liniment, or any other treatment I could think of.

It was my acupuncturist who discovered the cause, treated it, and released me from a back ache that just wouldn't go away.

In the years since, I've learned to recognize my emotional reactions to any number of situations, and I reach for Bach Flower Essences to keep myself in balance.

So last week I knew just what to do when a pain suddenly appeared between my shoulder blades.

I found a call on my answering machine and I knew that the caller wanted to ask me to do something I was not willing to do. I could do it - but I don't have time right now, and I just don't want to.

Within minutes of hearing that message, a pain appeared between my shoulder blades.

It didn't take long to realize that it was anxiety - and my reluctance to say no to someone who thought he had a perfectly reasonable request. A couple of doses of Feel5ive brought me back in balance and the pain dissolved.

Had it continued, I would have started on Centaury - the Bach Flower Remedy for those who always have a hard time saying "No" even to those with unreasonable requests.

So think about it - emotional anxiety can cause a wide variety of physical symptoms. So if you're suffering from an ache or a pain, or even an allergic reaction that doesn't seem to have a physical cause, look to your emotional state. Browse through the descriptions on the FeelBach! site, and then do more research at bachflower.org.

Your physical comfort could be just a few drops of Bach Flower Essences away!